Category Archives: Reviews

Below an Online Video Pilates Course (click to view) review, feedback or testimonial that I got earlier today from a Thursday morning “Senior / Over 60s Pilates class” participants, who used the *5 Day Free – Snow Video Pilates offer*. This offer is still available until midnight tonight (Monday 5th March 2018)..
Reading or hearing feedback like this makes it all worthwhile. I really appreciate you letting me know what you think of the courses, no matter if that’s relating to my “Online Video Pilates Course” or my “Fitness and Exercise Classes” in South Dublin..
Getting regular feedback allows me also to improve the quality of my Online and Offline Courses and classes, so all of you will ultimately benefit more from the courses..
Please e-mail, text, message or call me with your feedback.Thank you – Martin

“Hi Martin,thanks for making this available, really appreciate it. Videos are at a good pace, very clear, good to have a visual check at home between classes. It is helping me anchor the exercises in my memory. Used my tablet so I could have it down on the floor beside me, easy to see as I was working. Thanks again.

The Exercise Bars come with
(1) a small manual (four pages in Englisch, the rest of it is written in various other European languages).
(2) The two main horizontal bars and two t-shaped feet for each horizontal bar.
(3) 12 screws, 12 washers.
(4) One Allen-key (wrench – the phrase used in the manual) to screw everything together,
meaning you don’t need any other tools to assemble the exercise bars.

The bars (1) are very easy to put together, it only takes 5-10minutes maximum. (2) are sturdy and easily hold my weight 80kg (around 12 stone, 8.3 pounds) (3) are designed for a maximum body-weight of 130kg (per manual) (4) the horizontal part of the bars are padded with soft, thick bands to make gripping the bar more comfortable.(5) have rubber feet to prevent unwanted sliding or moving around.
(6) measurements, dimensions are: 78cm high, 65cm wide, 47cm deep.

I used the bars at home for various exercises on a thick carpet and outdoors on a stone patio. The bars didn’t move or slide on neither surface, which makes them safe to use.
There might be some restrictions for certain exercises depending on your height (I’m 5 foot, 9.3 inches or 176 cm) and could just about do tricep dips, without my bent knees touching the ground. The same applied to a “pull-up, rowing motion”, where I was just two or three inches, a small bit more off the ground when holding on to the bars with extended, straight arms.

The manual shows you seven basic exercises with two simple pictures for each exercise and a very very short description of each exercise (mentioning the starting position and the end position for each movement).
The exercise description doesn’t get into to much detail and if you haven’t done those type of exercises it won’t be of much value for you.

Conclusion:

Lidl’s Exercise Bars are solid and sturdy, easy to assemble and for €34.99 you can’t really go wrong (except if you are rather tall, as you might not be able to do some exercises without your knees or legs touching the ground).I would definitely recommend these exercise bars, having used them a three four times in the meantime.

I plan to post various short exercise videos in the next few weeks and months demoing different movements and exercises with these bars.

I looked up various other Exercise Bars, Parallel Bar and Calisthenics Bars on www.amazon.co.uk (make sure that the supplier delivers to Ireland, as not every Amazon.co.uk supplier delivers to Ireland, but you might try to use services www.parcelmotel.com ).Most comparable bars were much more expensive on www.amazon.co.uk, prices ranging from £34.99 to £54.99 or more, plus you would have to pay postage and packaging as well.

I hope you found this review useful. Let me know what you think and if this review possibly made it easier for you to make a decision whether to buy or not buy these exercise bars.

Most of you know at this stage that the German retailers Lidl and Aldi regularly sell fitness, sport and exercise equipment here in Ireland. I plan to review, critique, recommend various equipment if appropriate in the future.

Yesterday I bought Lidl’s fitness brand “CRIVIT® Exercise Bars” for €34.99 in Stillorgan, South Dublin. Over the last year I got more and more into Body-Weight and Calisthenics, bought a set of Gymnastic Rings, Power/Resistance Bands, Arm-Straps for a horizontal bar to do leg/knee raises for Core-Strength etc.. Up to late November of 2017 I exercised only outside, enjoyed the fresh air, the occasional bit drizzle of rain (we are well used to that in Ireland 🙂 ), but mainly dry and sunny days.

The above-mentioned equipment is generally fairly low priced and allows you to exercise independent of a gym out in the fresh air, which I love. You just have to find a chin-up or pull-up bar (or a sturdy tree branch) in a local park (you will find them in Cabinteely Park, Marlay Park, even in the Gallops), maybe use the horizontal bar of football / soccer goal to get started (that’s what I do in the Leopardstown Heights).

I already searched for “Parallel Bar”, “Calisthenics Bar” or “Exercise Bars” on www.amazon.co.uk and www.amazon.de, but the prices and high postage and packaging fees put me a bit off. Some of the Supplied also don’t post to Ireland. For that reason, I was really happy to see Lidl offering these “Exercise Bars”. I plan to record an unpacking and assembling video of the bars later in the week or over the weekend, if time and weather allow.

Check out my first video book-review below. In this case I reviewed Paul Massey’s “Sports Pilates – How to Prevent and Overcome Sports Injuries.” book. Please comment on my facebook page and let know what you think about the review or/and the book yourself in case you own it.
Feel free to make any suggestionswhat other types of fitness, Pilates or exercises books,products or equipment you would like to see a review on. – Thank you – Martin